BBB receives thousands of reviews and complaints regarding the moving industry, which enables us to share insights on what customers expect and what they care about the most.
Download the industry report or read below.
Introduction
The moving services industry plays a vital role in supporting the relocation needs of individuals and businesses across the United States. With changing demographics, urbanization, and evolving consumer preferences, the industry has experienced growth and transformation. This report provides an overview of the current state of the industry and its future outlook, based on recent data from IBISWorld.
U.S. moving industry overview
A diverse range of service providers characterizes the moving services industry in the United States, including nonemployers, local businesses, and contractors for larger operators1. In 2020, the number of moves in the U.S. was estimated to be 31 million, with approximately 9.8% of the population relocating that year2. The top states for inbound migration were Idaho, Arizona, and Tennessee, while New Jersey, New York, and Illinois were the top states for outbound migration.
As of 2023, there were 17,936 companies in the moving services industry, with 17,154 enterprises and 109,062 employees1. Wages for the industry amounted to $5,197 million, while the industry value added (IVA) was $7,432 million. The industry is considered mature. The IVA is steadily growing at a similar rate to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) and wholehearted market acceptance of the industry's services.
Table 1: Industry overview (2023)1
| Parameter | Value |
| Revenue ($m) | 21,694 |
| IVA ($m) | 7,432 |
| Companies (Units) | 17,936 |
| Enterprises (Units) | 17,154 |
| Employment (Units) | 109,062 |
| Wages ($m) | 5,197 |
| Per Capita Disposable Income ($) | 46,021 |
Market saturation is evident; consumers have numerous options for moving services, making it relatively easy to find suitable movers1. In recent years, traditional moving service providers have had to become more innovative due to intense competition from movers that are more accessible through mobile applications.
There has been some consolidation in the industry, with larger companies acquiring smaller moving companies to reach more downstream markets. The relatively low barriers to entry keep the industry fragmented1. Technology and systems used in the industry have evolved, with the introduction of electronic tracking devices for trucks, communication systems for consumers to track their materials, and experiments with self-driving vehicles.
U.S moving industry outlook
The moving services industry is expected to experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.1% in revenue from 2023 to 2028, reaching $22.9 billion in 20281. During this period, the profit is projected to be 7.9% of industry revenue1.
Key drivers of growth in the industry include increased demand from the corporate sector, as private nonresidential construction is expected to grow, and the surge in urban population, leading to increased demand for apartments1. The industry faces challenges, such as a slowing housing market and intense competition from mobile app-based moving services.
To remain competitive, moving service providers are expected to increase advertising efforts, adopt new technologies like vehicle coordination and electronic communication systems, and innovate in response to changing consumer preferences1.
Table 2: Industry revenue and employment forecast (2023-2028)1
| Year | Revenue ($m) | Employment (Units) |
| 2023 | 21,694 | 109,062 |
| 2024 | 22,314 | 111,452 |
| 2025 | 22,386 | 112,042 |
| 2026 | 22,322 | 112,103 |
| 2027 | 22,747 | 114,000 |
| 2028 | 22,876 | 114,948 |
The U.S. moving services industry is expected to grow in the coming years, driven by factors such as increasing urban density and corporate demand. The industry must adapt and innovate to overcome challenges such as competition from app-based services and a slowing housing market.
BBB moving industry overview
When setting out to learn about an industry, BBB’s research team looks to reviews, ratings and complaints for information.
Learning from reviews of moving companies is tricky. BBB’s research team has developed an algorithm to analyze reviews on BBB.org and determine which are fake or suspicious – and the moving industry has one of the highest rates of fake reviews.
This makes it difficult to determine what types of things moving companies are doing well to serve their customers. Even the positive reviews on movers that don't show any obvious signs of fakery tend to be shorter and more vague than usual.
Among the most fake reviews
Of the 350,000 total reviews for the moving industry, over 31,000 were deemed fake and suspicious, leading to a rate of 8.9% fake and suspicious reviews.
Among the most F ratings
More than 10% of the Business Profiles in the moving industry have F ratings on BBB.org. The rate for all companies is 2.7%, so the rate for movers is four times the rate for all companies.
Its F ratings are topped only by industries such as online shopping websites, gambling websites, and telemarketing companies.
Studying the reviews
BBB’s algorithm indicates that negative reviews (and especially complaints) tend to be legitimate more often than positive reviews. So we can get a realistic view of the types of things that moving companies are not doing well.
BBB analyzed 675,000 sentences in 43,000 complaints and negative reviews on movers and found the following common negative traits:
Lateness/slowness
Over 80% of BBB complaints and negative reviews on moving companies mention time factors. This is among the highest for service industries we've studied (topped only by HVAC). Narratives mention moving companies arriving late to start the job, loading the truck slower than expected, and delivering the goods later than scheduled.
Examples:
"They kept my things on different trucks over a 22 day period after telling me they would deliver to [a] new location in 2 or 3 days."
"They promised to deliver furniture two days from pick up, instead they delivered in two weeks."
Overcharging
90% of complaints and negative reviews on moving companies mention price/money factors. This is also among the highest for service industries. Narratives routinely describe classic cons where companies ask for more and more money, exceeding written estimates, often by two or three times. Other narratives describe seeking reimbursement for the cost of lost or missing items.
Examples:
"They not only charged us for weight but they also charged us for cubic space. Our bill went from $2000 to $3400."
"Many pieces of furniture [were] destroyed. Over 80% of furniture [were] damaged. I estimate the damages to be in the $7,000 to $9,000 range. Their final offer of reimbursement for damages was $192."
Rudeness/Harassment
A little less than half of negative narratives on movers mention rudeness, harassment, and other bad behaviors. "Extortion" is a common term used to describe situations where the movers refuse to release belongings until more money is paid. Narratives regularly describe owners, dispatchers, and laborers being rude and argumentative.
Examples:
"Drivers were beligerent[sic] and hostile on both ends of the process."
"I was issued an invoice after my furniture was picked up and then was blackmailed with threats of holding my furniture hostage, into paying in full immediately which after being screamed at for a lengthy amount of time I did pay in full by bank transfer."
Unresponsiveness
Over 90% of moving narratives mention poor communication, such as unanswered phone calls and unanswered emails. This is often coupled with time factors, where the consumers struggle for days, weeks, or months trying to reach the company to find the whereabouts of their belongings, or to get reimbursement for lost/missing items, etc.
Examples:
"No one picks up the phone, they do not return my calls or my emails."
"I have attempted numerous times to reach him which either goes to voicemail or voicemail box is full."
What items do movers lose and break?
One of the most common complaints against movers is about losing or breaking property. BBB drilled down into the complaints, focusing specifically on household movers and examined nearly 400 types of household items (grouped into categories) to see where the problems are most prevalent.
Household item types
Unsurprisingly, the most common items lost or damaged were furniture. 57% of narratives mentioned at least one specific furniture item. No other groups were close. Electronics/appliances were mentioned in 13% of narratives which includes digital devices, home appliances, and information/media. Home decorations, art, and lighting fixtures were mentioned in 4%.
The items most often tended to be larger/heavier items. Perhaps this is because many consumers move their small personal items and valuables (gadgets, jewelry, photo albums, etc.) on their own. Another factor is that some movers won't move glass items.
Clothing was mentioned in only seven percent of narratives, followed by housewares (which includes dishes, glasses, pots, pans, and silverware) textile products (curtains, carpets, blankets, towels, etc.), personal items (jewelry, cosmetics, purses, luggage) , and hardware/lawn items.
Most common furniture items
The most common furniture item reported lost or damaged was beds over 14%. This included all types of beds: sofa beds, Murphy beds, futons, etc. Everyone needs something to sleep on, and beds can also be among the more expensive furniture items in a household.
Examples:
"After the movers left, I noticed that the antique kitchen table given to me by my mother had the end broken off and the broken piece was missing… If they had brought me the broken piece from my table, I could have had it repaired."
"After the move we noticed an antique glass and brass table was missing… I know it got on the truck, but never made it into our new home."
The second most commonly mentioned item was televisions. Perhaps this isn't surprising given the size, expense, and fragility of televisions today.
Example:
"I specifically discussed with the movers to be extra careful with my bed, as it was $2,500 and meant a lot to me … my bed had been broken at the warehouse, as one of the posts had been dropped and shattered. The post wasn't even on the truck to be delivered any longer, so my four poster canopy bed was now a three post bed."
The third most commonly mentioned furniture item was tables. This included: dining room tables, coffee tables, end tables, pool tables, etc.
Example:
"The movers damaged my TV screen, which is now unusable. My 65 inch Samsung curved TV was damaged in the move. They broke the stand that holds the TV, and they cracked my TV screen while trying to take off my TV stand."
The fourth most commonly mentioned item was mattresses. These include narratives that may or may not mention other parts of the bed such as headboards or box springs.
Example:
"I used this company and they damaged my mattress which was $1800 and a year old."
Other commonly mentioned items were: dressers, chairs, couches, and desks. They were followed by lamps and mirrors, which isn't surprising given that these glass items can be easily cracked or scratched.
In an industry crowded with questionable and low-rated companies, legitimate moving companies can stand out by taking care of their customers' belongings, providing positive customer service, being transparent about costs, and sticking to their commitments.
U.S. INDUSTRY (NAICS) REPORT 48421 | Moving Services in the U.S. | Report by: Brendan McErlaine | January 2023
U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). Annual Geographic Mobility Rates, by Type of Movement: 1948-2020.